The Good Dragon
by Serenity Dragonrider
Summary: Inspired by Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Apollo wants to be as good a fighter as his older brother, and please his father the Dragon King. But is constantly struggling. He runs from every fight or gets too scared to move. But when his brother's life in under threat from rouge Changewings, Apollo must put aside his fear and stand his ground.
1. Chapter 1

**The Good Dragon**

The summer sun shone down on the Isle of Berk. The vikings and dragons were bustling about the village. The Draconians had arrived the previous week. However they weren't bustling about the village because all of them had a bad case of dragon flu. Serenity did everything she could to make them feel better, but she was sick too.

They were all gathered under the Golden Apple Tree. Most of them were asleep, Serenity was the only one awake. She sat in her chair by the fire. She had just given them all medicine and they had plenty of water. She'd given herself medicine and it gave her the energy to take care of her family. It was a hard job, but someone had to do it.

Serenity got to her feet and went inside the house where her husband and daughter were sleeping. Edelweiss was asleep on a small bed, her dragon Black Widow was asleep beside her on the floor. Serenity checked on them first. Their fevers had lowered significantly. Then she went to the big bed where Chris was also asleep. Serenity crawled onto her side of the bed and sat crosslegged facing him. She felt his forehead. He was more feverish than Edelweiss. She soaked a cloth in a bucket near by that was filled with ice cold water. She laid it on Chris's forehead, to bring down his fever. He stayed asleep. Serenity kissed his cheek then got up and went back outside. She left the door of the house wide open. She sat in her chair again. She glanced around at all the dragons.

"What would you guys do without me?" she asked. She leaned back in her chair. There was another bucket of water beside the chair. Serenity soaked another cloth and slapped it across her own forehead. It felt so good and it made her relax. She closed her eyes and dozed off.

A few minuets later Serenity was woken up by the sound of a landing dragon, and from the sound of it she knew it was Hiccup and Toothless.

"Hello boys," Serenity said, without opening her eyes.

"Are they feeling any better?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, they're improving," said Serenity. "They'll be up and about in a day or so. Now what brings you two up here?"

"I wanted to ask Re something," said Hiccup. Serenity sat up and put the cloth back into the bucket. She got to her feet and knelt in front of Re. She stroked his head.

"Re? Sir?" she said softly. Re stirred and opened his eyes. He moaned.

"Hey Serenity," he said, his voice was scratchy.

"How are you feeling?" Serenity asked gently.

"Bit thirsty," Re said.

"I'll get you more water," said Serenity. "Meantime, Hiccup has something he wants to ask you." She got to her feet and went over to her well. Re sat up slowly.

"Hey Re, I was thinking we could combine forces and practice aerial battles," said Hiccup. "When you guys are feeling better of course."

"What did you have in mind?" Re asked.

"My riders and your fellow Draconians practice taking out an enemy fleet," said Hiccup. "We'll use Berk's ships to act as the enemy fleet. We can practice with several scenarios, in all types of conditions." Re considered.

"I like it, it'll be good practice for our young ones to defend themselves and each other from dragon hunters," he said. "Alright, when we're on our feet again we'll talk some more about it."

"Great," said Hiccup. "We'll let you rest now." He got back on Toothless and took off. Serenity came back with a filled bucket of water. She set it down in front of Re. He didn't hesitate and drained the whole thing. Then he laid his head back down and went back to sleep. Serenity sat in her chair again.

A day later the Draconians were on their feet again. Re informed them all about Hiccup's idea about aerial combat training. They were all excited about the idea, except for two individuals. One was Serenity who always worried that someone would be seriously injured or killed. The other one was Apollo. He was nervous about training. He had always struggled to keep up with his brother and sister. Chris was all grown up and had won a war and started his own family. Avalon had mastered the art of magic and could spar against the adults, by herself. She hadn't won a spar yet, but she lasted a minuet longer each time. Apollo couldn't last longer than a few seconds. He did fine when he had help from his siblings or his friends, but he always struggled when he was by himself. Whenever he sparred against one of the adults he either wasn't quick enough, or he chickened out. It made him sad and upset. The way his father talked, you'd have thought he only had one son and a daughter. Apollo wanted his father to be proud of him too.

The day before the aerial combat training. The Draconians were in the arena sparing. Avalon sparred against her mother. The Princess actually got her claws around Aurora's neck, but forgot to watch out for the queen's tail. Aurora grabbed Avalon's hind legs and threw her off, pinning her down with her strong paws.

"Nicely done Avalon," said Aurora. "But you've got to watch your back. And you must go in for the kill before your victim can through you off."

"I didn't want to actually hurt you Mama," said Avalon. She got to her feet. Aurora nuzzled her.

"I'm proud of you Avalon," she purred. "Keep it up and you'll be ready to take on Windwalker." Avalon chuckled. She then ran to the sidelines. She sat beside Apollo and watched Chris take on all four adult dragons at once. Apollo watched in amazement. Chris fought all four of them and won. Re and Aurora congratulated him, beaming with pride. Apollo looked at the ground sadly.

"Apollo, your turn," called Re. Apollo looked up and saw his father in the middle of the arena.

"Go on Apollo," said Avalon, giving him a shove forward. Apollo ran towards his father, determined to win this time. Re went into a playful crouch. Then pounced at Apollo, claws out and nostrils flared. Apollo saw the big claws and teeth coming at him, and he lost it. He squealed in fright and flew out of the arena as fast as his wings could carry him. Re watched him fly away, and sighed in disappointment. Aurora came up beside him.

"It's the tenth time he's done that," she said.

"He'll grow out of it," said Re. "We may have to change tactics. I'll see how he does tomorrow. He'll improve, they always do." He turned to the rest of the group. "That'll do for today." Chris got on Windwalker and flew up to his room; Tenor, Black Widow, and Edelweiss close behind. Avalon followed her parents to the throne room.

When they got there, they found Apollo waiting for them. He looked awfully upset with himself. Re and Aurora sat on either side of him, and Avalon sat between Apollo and Aurora.

"I chickened out again," Apollo said, close to tears. Re nuzzled him.

"No one's perfect Apollo," said Re.

"I want you guys to be proud of me to," said Apollo. "I know I'll be the last one to unlock my titan wing."

"You don't know that for sure," said Aurora. "And even if you are, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Late bloomers are always a sight to behold." Apollo felt a bit better.

"Tomorrow will be the aerial combat training," said Re. "The first scenario will be rescuing captured dragons. Your job will be to sneak onto the ships and release the dragons, then lead them back to Berk or Dragon Island. You can do that right?" Apollo didn't answer.

"Come one Apollo, you're great at hide 'n hunt," said Avalon. Apollo sighed.

"Okay," he said.

"It's getting late," said Aurora. "And we all need our rest for tomorrow." She pulled her two dragonets close to her with her tail. They curled up in a ball under their mother's wing. They all fell asleep in minuets.

The next day the Draconians gathered on the beach outside of the throne room. The dragons strapped on their armor, and Chris strapped on his swords. Serenity sat on a nearby boulder. Apollo looked over at her. She looked as nervous as he felt. He went over and sat next to her. Serenity smiled and scratched him behind his horns. Then Apollo turned to Re.

"Dad can't I stay here and keep Serenity company?" he asked, hoping Re would say yes. The Dragon King turned around.

"Not this time Apollo," he said. Apollo moaned with nerves.

"Now come on," said Aurora. Apollo sighed and took off with the others. Serenity watched them fly away. She turned and headed back into the throne room.

Over the ocean between Berk and Dragon Island the Draconians met up with the Berkians. The only rider that wasn't there was Eret, as he was manning his dragon trapping ship.

"Good of you to show up," said Astrid. "Now we can get this show flying."

"You do you have in mind to go in and release the captured dragons?" Hiccup asked.

"Apollo," said Re. "He needs a confidence boost." Everyone looked at Apollo, making him feel uneasy.

"Ok, that makes sense," said Hiccup.

"Can we go already?" said Snotlout. "Hookfang hates waiting."

"Right," said Hiccup. "Everyone in battle formation." The dragons and riders headed for the trapping ship, which was no where in sight at the moment. They kept their eyes open for the ship.

"The ship was last seen heading west," said Hiccup. "Snotlout, you and Black Widow scout ahead and report back when you find it, but don't engage." Both Snotlout and Black Widow groaned in disappointment.

"Man, you're no fun Hiccup," Black Widow complained. But nontheless Snotlout and Black Widow broke away from the formation and sped up. Black Widow flew beside Hookfang.

"I wish I could lead the charge, like my mother did," said Black Widow. "Rather than being a simple scout."

"Hiccup's about as fun as a tooth ache," said Snotlout. "He used to have us going out and searching for Trader Johann, a lot. Who, by the way, never shuts up. And it gets really annoying when he and Fishlegs get all dragon nerdy talk every time we find a new dragon species."

"Is there any reason we can't engage the target?" said Black Widow, clutching the air with her talons. "I can easily sink a trapping ship, I could sink several."

"So could I," said Snotlout. "Now let's hurry up and find this thing, we can reek havoc later." Hookfang sped up and Black Widow.

They searched for a few more minuets. Then Snotlout spotted the trapping ship below, hiding behind a sea stack. The two dragons circled it, staying out of the firing range. They saw three cages with dragons in them, and both Snotlout and Black Widow suspected there were more below.

"Right we found the ship, I'll go back and lead the others over here," said Snotlout.

"How do I know you won't get lost?" said Black Widow.

"I never get lost," said Snotlout smugly.

"That's not what Toothless said," said Black Widow. "Something about a waterspout and Outcasts." Snotlout groaned in defeat.

"Well, we've gotten better since then," he said.

"Alright," said Black Widow. She flew down and landed on the sea stack. Hookfang and Snotlout turned around and flew off. Black Widow watched the ship from her perch. She could see Eret at the helm, waiting impatiently. There were many more vikings bustling about the deck. Skullcrusher was one of the dragons held captive. Black Widow kept to the shadows so she wouldn't be seen.

Before long the other dragons and riders arrived, led by Snotlout. Black Widow took off and joined them. They dive bombed the ship, and the ship fired back. The dragons shot fire at the sails. Apollo circled the ship, waiting for his turn. When the ship's ammo was running low, Re turned to Apollo.

"Go now, and remember you must be silent," he said. Apollo gulped and nodded. While the others distracted the vikings on the ship, Apollo flew down and landed on the deck. He scurried from shadow to shadow. He made his way over to the cages. He was about to reach one of them when an eel landed in front of him; the vikings on the ship were throwing eels at the attacking dragons and the riders were catching them and throwing them right back. The eel that landed in front of Apollo squirmed and slithered like a snake. Skullcrusher caught his eye.

"Come on Apollo, what are you waiting for?" he whispered. But Apollo had frozen in place, staring at the eel with wide, terrified eyes. It slithered closer to him, making him back up. Suddenly he stepped on a taught rope, which caused several bolas to shoot out and bind his paws, wings and snout. He rolled across the deck and came to rest at Eret's feet.

"Nice try Apollo," Eret said. "But I aint that stupid." He then turned to the other vikings. "Fire the Speed Stinger darts and dragonroot arrows!" The vikings began firing arrows and darts at the riders and their dragons. The Draconian dragons were protected by their armor, but all the Berkian dragons got hit and Chris got shot in the shoulder by a dragonroot arrow. He fell off the saddle and splashed into the water before Windwalker could react, as she was too busy dodging arrows and darts. The vikings on the ship launched nets, snagging all the dragons that got shot and pulling them onto the deck.

With the simulation over the Draconians landed on the deck, Windwalker rescued her rider from the water. Eret released the dragons in the cage, and cut Apollo's ropes. Apollo soon caught his father's glare. Re was furious.

"We'll talk when we get back to Berk," he growled through his teeth. He then turned his attention to Chris, who was in a lot of pain. Re could feel the arrow as well, he winced every time he walked. Dragonroot didn't have the same effect on humans as it did on dragons. Chris felt very dizzy, which caused him to pass out. No one took the arrow out, since it prevented him from bleeding out.

Aurora used her magic to repair the damages and fill the sails with wind. They turned and headed for Berk. Tenor took off to fetch his healer and meet them under the apple tree. The sun had begun to set and there were dark clouds in the distance.

The ship pulled into the harbor. Windwalker flew Chris up to the apple tree. Serenity and Tenor were there already. Serenity got right to work addressing Chris's wound. He stayed unconscious the whole time. Windwalker watched from her spot beside Tenor.

"What does dragonroot do to a human?" Windwalker asked.

"Nothing really," said Serenity. "It's harmless to humans. But arrows aren't." She took the arrow out of Chris's shoulder and stitched up the wound. She wrapped it up in bandages and put her things away. She sat back and waited for Chris to wake up. At that moment the other Draconians landed under the tree, having helped unload Eret's ship. The minuet they landed Re turned to Apollo.

"I gave you a job Apollo," he said, smoke billowing from his nostrils. "All you had to do was unlock the cage doors, it wasn't hard."

"I'm sorry, that eel was so scary," said Apollo, timidly. "Slithering towards me."

"Apollo, if that had been the real thing, lives would have been lost," said Re. "You can't freeze up or let fear overcome you. That whole mission failed because of you." Apollo hung his head in shame. He backed up and scurried up the tree. Re laid beside Aurora. Serenity settled on the grass beside Chris. Windwlker laid down behind her, so she had something to lean on.

"There's something that bothers me Windwalker," Serenity asked.

"What's that?" asked Windwalker.

"There's been a lot of arguments under this tree," said Serenity. "Individuals have had their feelings hurt. And this is supposed to be a place dragons came to feel better. Lots of bad things have happened here."

"What bad things?" asked Windwalker.

"Well, you and Tenor have gotten in a lot arguments," said Serenity. "And that thing with Heal, that argument happened here. I don't want this to be a bad place."

"It's not a bad place," said Windwalker. "I love this place, no matter how many arguments have happened here. Besides, good things have happened too. Edelweiss was born here, so was Black Widow. This place is very special." Serenity scratched behind Windwalker's sonar flaps. She purred and nuzzled Serenity's shoulder.

"It's scary when you and Tenor argue," said Serenity. "I feel like you're going to rip each other's throats out, or Tenor will bite you out of pure anger. I don't want that happening here." Windwalker nuzzled her face.

"We'll make sure there's no death under this tree," she said. At that moment Chris stirred and opened his eyes. Serenity turned her attention to him.

"Hi," she said softly. "How do you feel?"

"My shoulder hurts," Chris said. He placed a hand over his wounded shoulder. It felt like the arrow was still there.

"You'll be okay," said Serenity. "It'll be sore for a while, but it'll get better." She helped him sit up. He groaned in pain. Serenity smiled and kissed his cheek. That seemed to ease the pain slightly. Chris blushed.

"Better?" Serenity asked.

"A bit," Chris admitted. "Never been shot in the shoulder before."

"I haven't either," said Serenity.

"You've had a lot of damage done to you," said Chris. "Probably more than an arrow in the shoulder." He got to his feet, Windwalker and Serenity followed suit. Chris clutched his shoulder, as the pain came back. He sat in one of the chairs by the fire pit, and Serenity sat next to him. Windwalker sat next to Tenor and Black Widow. Apollo stayed in the tree. Serenity looked up at him, then turned to Re and Aurora.

"Won't you forgive him Re?" she asked. "I don't want anyone to be sad under this tree." Re sighed.

"Don't worry Serenity, it'll be resolved before the sun sets," said Aurora. "And it'll be resolved under this tree." Serenity sighed with relief. She leaned back in her chair.

Suddenly the wind picked up and the sky grew darker. There came a loud clap of thunder. It startled Apollo and he bolted out of the tree. He ran to his mother and hid under wing with Avalon.

"Storms coming, and it'll be a violent one," said Re. "We should get back to Dragon Island."

"No, it'll be too rough," said Aurora. "We won't make it in time. We'll have to ride it out here." She used her magic to put up an invisible roof over the hospital.

"Could you put that spell over the village?" asked Re. Aurora smiled and extended the invisible roof over the village as well.

The storm intensified. Waves crashed against the rock that held the village. The vikings were taken aback when they didn't get wet. The waves and rain didn't touch the village. The dragons were another issue. They ran all over the village out of control. Toothless tired to get them to calm down, but unfortunately he was riled up by the storm as well. Hiccup, thinking fast, ran up to the apple tree. It was times like this that he was very happy to have the dragon king and queen on his island. He found them huddled under the tree, watching the storm.

"Re, Aurora, we've got trouble downstairs," Hiccup said. Aurora smiled.

"We dragons aren't too fond of thunderstorms," she said, getting to her feet. "The Skrill is the only dragon who can gain anything from getting hit by lightning." Re got to his feet and stretched. Aurora turned to Avalon and Apollo.

"You wait here, we'll be back," she said.

"Can we handle this one Mama?" asked Avalon.

"Not this time," said Re. "Next time, promise." Avalon settled back down beside Apollo. Re and Aurora spread their wings and took off. Hiccup walked back down.

The two Draconian dragons circled over the village. The dragons were still running a muck. Aurora let out a loud roar. They all stopped and looked up at their king and queen.

"There's no reason to panic," said Aurora. "I've put a spell over this village, the storm won't do any damage. You're perfectly safe. You should all get some rest, this storm will last a long time." The dragons finally calmed down. They made their way to the hanger, and Toothless made his way to Hiccup's house. Re and Aurora landed back at the tree. Avalon and Apollo huddled close to them.

"Can't we go back to Dragon Island?" asked Apollo. Thunder boomed, making him squeal in fright.

"No, we must stay here," said Aurora. "If I leave, the spell breaks and this village will be destroyed. We're safe here."

"You must stand your ground Apollo," said Re. "It's the only way you win." Apollo just nodded. Aurora wrapped her tail around her dragonets and pulled them closer. Re lit the fire pit, lighting up the hospital. Tenor and Windwalker laid on either side of Black Widow, and Edelweiss crawled into her mother's lap. The storm grew stronger.

Windwalker turned to Tenor. He looked overly thrilled watching the violent ocean. She scanned her brain for something to talk about.

"Have you been in a lot of battles?" she asked.

"Not as many as I'd like," Tenor said. "And no it's not because my lovely rider hates war, it's because I help finished wars, not start them." He smirked at the comment.

"What would you saw was your favorite battle?" Windwalker asked. Tenor thought a moment.

"The Battle of the Bewilderbeast," he said. "Though the outcome was a shame, it was a real adrenaline rush. And it was quite special to see not one, but two living Bewilderbeasts. And be able to fight along side one. Once in a lifetime opportunity."

"No casualties?" asked Windwalker. Tenor lowered his eyes slightly.

"Just, the two," he said quietly. "But one casualty is just as bad as hundreds."

"True," said Windwalker.

"What was your favorite?" Tenor asked.

"When we first attacked this place," said Windwalker. "No one was hurt, and that started the chain of events that got Chris back together with his family." Tenor smiled at the thought.

"What about the fight against the Bewilderbeast, here on Berk?" asked Windwalker. "It had a better outcome and must have been just as fun to watch." Tenor shrugged.

"Eh, that was more of a standoff then a battle," he said. "It was fun though. I don't think I've ever seen Toothless that mad before or since. Also I've never seen anyone defeat him. Hookfang said that back in the day he was the hardest dragon to take down."

"Toothless is pretty amazing," said Windwalker. "I didn't like him at first, thought he was a snob."

"Huh, that's funny," Tenor said. "He told me he thought you were a snob. You know, just barge into his village unannounced, and do whatever the heck you want." Windwalker grimaced.

"Not very gracious of me, I know," she said. "You were more cautious and shy. It made me a touch curious about you." Tenor purred bashfully and lowered his head, letting her lick behind his ears. After a while Tenor looked over at the others.

"You think Apollo has the same kind of guts Toothless has?" he asked. Windwalker followed his gaze.

"I think so," she said. "He doesn't know it yet, but he's probably got more guts than you, me, and Toothless combined." Tenor murmured in agreement. Suddenly Black Widow stirred.

"Mama, I'm hungry," she said.

"You'll have to eat apples until the storm's over," said Windwalker. Black Widow looked up at the apple tree. She jumped to her feet and ran towards the tree. She looked over at her friends.

"You guys want apples too?" she asked. Avalon and Apollo followed her up the tree. Windwalker leaned on Tenor's side and nibbled behind his ears. Tenor laid his head down and let her continue, entwining his tail around hers.

Re and Aurora looked up at the tree, where Apollo was munching apples. Aurora hummed sadly.

"I'm worried about him Re," she said. "He'll be a great dragon one day, but he's so scared all the time."

"He can overcome it," Re said. "I know he can. I'll help him in anyway I can, but this'll be something he has to figure out himself with some help from Lord Draco as well." Aurora sighed. She then turned to the three humans.

"You should get some rest," she said. "This storm will last all night." Chris carefully got to his feet. He clutched his shoulder, wincing. Serenity got to her feet and put a soft hand on his good shoulder.

"I have something that can help with the pain," she said gently.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Chris said.

"It's the saltwater," said Serenity. "You fell in the water and the saltwater got in the wound, and it's irritating it. Don't worry, it'll go away." Chris took a deep breath. Suddenly thunder boomed again. Serenity held Chris's hand. They went inside the house.

Once inside, Chris sat down on the bed. Serenity put her bag on her side of the bed, and open it up. She took out a vile of clear red fluid and a syringe.

"What's that?" Chris asked.

"Speed Stinger venom," said Serenity. "Just the right amount makes an excellent morphine."

"How do you know?" Chris asked.

"Um, personal experience," Serenity said awkwardly. "Heal, hit me around a lot out of anger. But because I had been stung by a Speed Stinger, I never felt any pain. Ever since, I've been experimenting with it." She sat on the bed beside Chris.

"Who was your lab rat?" Chris asked.

"Me," said Serenity. "A way to pass the time while you guys were in he arena all day." She carefully inserted the morphine into Chris's shoulder. He sighed with relief when the pain went away.

"Were you scared, when Heal kidnapped you?" he asked.

"Being paralyzed, not knowing what was going to happen or if I was going to have to watch a friend die in agony," said Serenity. "Yeah, I was scared." She looked towards the door and the dragons outside. "I feel bad for Apollo. He wants to be as good as you, but comes up short."

"He's still young," said Chris. "He'll get it. I wasn't always the best at fighting either."

"You looked pretty good to me," said Serenity. "But then again I know nothing about fighting." There came another clap of thunder, making them both jump.

"Well, if what Aurora said was true, we have quite a wait," said Serenity. "We should get some rest." She kissed Chris the cheek again. They crawled into bed and fell asleep.

Outside, the dragonets finished their apples and climbed out of the tree. Edelweiss went into her bedroom in the tree trunk with Black Widow. Apollo and Avalon huddled between their parents. The claps of thunder kept making Apollo jump and shake. Aurora put her wing over the two of them and sang a little rain song. It helped calm Apollo down. He laid his head on his front paws and closed his eyes. He was asleep in no time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

As Aurora had predicted the storm lasted all night, and clear into the afternoon of the next day. It got more violent every hour. It didn't touch the village or the apple tree. But the rest of the island was beaten black and blue by rain, wind, waves, and lighting. By the time the storm ended half the forest had been blown down and the Cove was flooded.

The sun came out and the vikings and dragons came outside. The Draconians joined them. Aurora lifted her spell. Hiccup was in a pretty good mood, seeing that there was no damage to his village.

"Thanks Aurora," he said.

"You're welcome," said Aurora. "Though I still don't know why you lot want to live in an environment like this. Always at the mercy of the elements." Hiccup shrugged.

"It's a viking thing," he said. "You dragon's seem to do it too. There's quite a lot of you up here."

"Well, yeah," said Aurora. "We're animals, we're build for it. But environments like this has been known to kill humans."

"Hey, uh, can we talk about this later?" asked Snotlout. "We have a problem." He pointed to the rest of the island. Everyone followed his gaze. The landscape was in shambles. Trees were uprooted. It was a real mess.

"Wow, that's a lot of destruction," said Tuffnut, thrilled.

"We should get a scale of that," said Hiccup. "Who want's to search where?" The riders shouted out the locations they wanted to search. Serenity and Tenor volunteered to check out the Cove. Hiccup turned to Chris.

"Chris, why don't you check out the northern swam," he said. "It's probably flooded."

"Sure," Chris said. "I'll take Apollo with me." Apollo looked surprised and confused.

"But, I'm still too small to carry a full sized human," he said.

"That's okay," said Chris. "I don't mind walking. Windwalker's going to the Cove with Serenity and Tenor." Apollo sat on his haunches deep in thought. Re lowered his head to Apollo's level.

"You can do it Apollo," he said. He gave his younger son an encouraging shove forward. Apollo sighed and shook himself.

"O...okay," he stammered.

"Come on, it'll be fun," Chris said, enthusiastically. Apollo took a deep breath and stood at his full height. He followed Chris though the village and into the woods.

They hiked through the woods. They didn't talk much for half the journey. Apollo stayed right beside Chris. He didn't feel like flying. They passed a lot of destruction. There were trees laying on their sides, their roots exposed. The ground was soggy and muddy. They had to be careful not to step in a mud hole. Soon both of their feet were caked in mud.

They soon reached the northern swamp. There was a powerful stench of sulfur in the air. Apollo climbed to the top of the hill, following Chris. At the top they looked down at the swamp. It was indeed flooded, with hot, bubbly, mud. The smell of sulfur was stronger. The water from the swamp had overflowed and mixed with the dirt. Bubbles burst every few seconds; making a gloop gloop sound, and releasing the sulfur stench.

"That's going to stink up the whole island," said Apollo.

"The wind is blowing the smell away from the village," said Chris. "You should fly over that, and get the full extent of it." Apollo screeched in answer and took off. He flew over the mud flow. It wasn't very big, only half a mile across. Apollo reached the end of it, then circled around and headed back to where Chris waited. He landed and folded his wings.

"We should head back and tell Hiccup," Chris said.

"Yes," Apollo agreed. They turned to head down the hill. Chris stepped on a loose patch of soil and lost his footing. He tumbled down the hill and landed hard on the muddy ground. He let out a loud cry of pain when he felt his leg break.

"Chris!" Apollo cried. He ran down the hill and went to Chris's side. He was laying on his side clutching his broken leg. Apollo nudged him.

"You okay?" he asked, panicking.

"My leg, it's broken I think," Chris panted. "You'll have to go find help." Apollo was about to take off when the ground beneath Chris gave way and he found himself in a sink hole. I moved his broken leg, making it unbearable. Apollo backed up to avoid falling in himself. He looked up to see Chris sinking into the mud. He struggled to say above ground, but failing due to his injury. Apollo panicked. But then he took a huge breath.

"Please help us Grandfather," he said. Then he took off and hovered over the sink hole. He grabbed Chris by the arms and tried pulling him out. He pumped his wings hard.

"Apollo stop," Chris cried. "That's not helping." Apollo let go at once. He glanced around for a tree branch or something. Luckily he spotted one close by. He flew over and grabbed it. He held it out to Chris who grabbed it. Apollo pumped his wings again, pulling as hard as he could. He wasn't making any progress, Chris was sinking further. Apollo was getting tired. But he refused to give up. He clamped the branch in his talons and pumped his wings harder. In his mind he cried to Lord Draco for help.

Then when he though he was about to loose his strength, a powerful serge ran through his veins. He felt his body changing. He felt stronger and more powerful. Apollo growled and pulled as hard as he could. At long last Chris was pulled onto solid ground. He was covered in mud and clutching his leg. Apollo landed next to him. Chris saw that his little brother had changed.

His underbelly turned lime green. His horizontally straight-ridged underbelly adorned a new form. They were now shaped like horizontally-stretched, upside-down V's. Every other ridge extended his newly-green scales up around his body, and stopped along his spine, forming incomplete circles. His tail grew longer and a third of it was covered in lime green scales. His horns grew longer and the membrane between his wings were now lime green as well. His face changed as well. He now had a small green arc on his forehead. Under his eyes, there were 2 obtuse green triangles, one for each eye. His spins had grown bigger and sharper.

Chris was taken by surprise. Apollo was the youngest dragon he'd ever seen unlock his titan wing.

"Apollo, you unlocked you titan wing," he said, gasping in pain. Apollo looked at himself, to see that it was true. He became surprised as well.

"But I'm still a juvenile," he said.

"But you did," said Chris. Suddenly he began coughing. Apollo forgot about his titan wing and hurried to Chris's side. He was loosing consciousness.

"You feeling okay?" Apollo asked. But Chris didn't reply, he just passed out. Apollo nudged him.

"Wake up," he cried. He panicked again. He wasn't sure if he should find help, or stay with Chris until help found them. However, his mind was made up for him.

There suddenly came a loud screech from above. Apollo looked up to see five Changewings landing in front of him. Apollo stood between them and Chris. The Changwings slithered closer.

"Well, what do we have here?" asked the one in front, with a very slithery voice.

"Looks like a human to me," said another one. "I wonder what it tastes like."

"It's covered in mud though," said another.

"Easily taken care of," said the first one. Apollo growled. His father's words ran though his head; stand your ground, don't freeze up or lived will be lost.

"What should we do this one Thunderclap?" asked one of the Changewings, to the leader. Thunderclap glared down at Apollo, who glared back.

"It's five to one," Thunderclap sneered. "Get him." The Changewings pounced and Apollo took off. They gave chase, leaving Chris for the moment.

Apollo flew as fast as he could away from the northern swamp. All five Changewings were hot on his tail. With his titan wing activated Apollo was able to stay out of their reach. He flew erratically hoping to evade the Changewings. They shot acid at him, but he dodged it. They chased him all over the island. They flew over the village, catching the attention of the vikings and other dragons. But Apollo put on a burst of speed and kept going knowing that if he stopped the Changewings would most likely kill him.

Over the Cove Apollo saw that they were gaining on him. He searched franticly for an escape. He soon spotted a narrow opening in a nearby cliff. It looked barely large enough for him to fly through but I would throw the Changwings off. He turned and headed for it as fast as he could and the Changewings followed him. Apollo flew towards the opening and had to turn sideways in order to fit through. It widened the deeper he went, it also got darker. Apollo lit up his mouth with fire, a trick he's learned from Stormfly. He could no longer hear the Changewings behind him. Now all he had to do was find a way out of the cave and get back to Chris.

Outside the Changewings circled the cave opening, screeching with fury.

"Now what?" said one of them. "We totally lost him." Thunderclap considered.

"No matter," he said. "He will have to come out sooner or later. And when he does he'll head back to that human. We'll wait for him there." He turned and flew off. The others followed.

Inside the cave Apollo continued his journey through the darkness. After what felt like hours he saw a light a head. He thrusted his wings back and soon exited the cave. In the distance the sun was starting to set. Apollo had to get back to Chris before night fall. He turned and headed back to the mud flow.

When he got there Chris was still unconscious. Apollo landed beside him and fold his wings. He didn't dare deactivate his titan wing, incase the Changewings came back. It was only now that Apollo realized how tired he was, even with his titan wing activated. He approached his brother and nudged him, getting no response. Apollo still didn't know whether he should stay with Chris or go find help. However, his mind was made up for him again. Something rammed into him hard. He tumbled about, stunned. He then heard the Changewings land and he jumped to his feet. He quickly ran between them and Chris. He took a fighting stance, growling. He didn't run this time. He roared and pounced on Thunderclap, biting his snout. The Changewing tossed his head about and succeeded in throwing Apollo to the ground. He took off and hovered over Chris. He shot fire at them, and hit one of the Changewings right in the face. That one roared in pain. Thunderclap glared at Apollo.

"You'll regret that midget," he hissed. He took off and flew right at Apollo. They engaged in a very bloody fight. They bit and scratched at each other, Apollo got more injuries than Thunderclap but he didn't care. He broke away and circled about. An idea formed in his head, and he prayed to his grandfather that it would work. He gave Thunderclap a face full of flames, blinding him. He then put on a burst of speed and rammed into the Changewing, knocking him out of the air. He crashed into the mud. Apollo was about to go in for the kill, but was hit in the wings by an acid blast from another Changewing. It hurt so bad it made Apollo crash as well. By now he had several scratches and bites all over his body and was bleeding badly, and his wings were a painful mess. It made him want to pass out, but he couldn't quit now. He heaved himself to his feet and looked around for Thunderclap. He soon spotted him close by. Thunderclap was also just getting to his feet. Apollo gritted his teeth and pounced on Thunderclap again, pinning his head down. He bit and scratched at the Thunderclap's face and neck. The Changewing roared in pain. He looked at his cronies.

"Kill the human," he ordered.

"No!" Apollo cried, as the Changewings turned towards Chris. Apollo growled, anger growing inside him. He grasped Thunderclap's head in his teeth, and with one violet twist, broke his neck. Thunderclap fell dead at Apollo's feet. Apollo then turned to the other Changewings, and shot fire at them. Shocked and helpless, now that their leader was head, they quickly turned and flew off, never to be seen again.

Apollo jumped off Thunderclap, he was loosing strength fast. He went over to Chris, who was still unconscious. Apollo had one last thing to do. He lowered his head over Chris, and let out a long warm breath. Chris stirred and opened his eyes. He saw his little brother, and was taken by surprise at his condition.

"What happened to you?" he asked. Apollo was gasping in pain and exhaustion.

"Don't...worry..." he said faintly, his voice weakening. "You're...safe...now." And then he collapsed and passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chris lay in the mud, in too much pain to move. It was starting to get dark. Chris was positive help was on the way. Re no doubt felt Chris's broken leg. To make matters worse he was starting to feel very feverish and nauseous. However, he was more worried about Apollo. He was in bad shape, laying in a pool of mud and blood. Chris had been unconscious during the fight with the Changewings, so he had no idea where Apollo had gotten all those injuries. But he did know that if help didn't come soon, Apollo would die. Chris fell asleep, knowing there was nothing he could do.

The next thing he knew, he felt a hand in his and a stethoscope on his chest. He stirred and opened his eyes. He was so relieved to see his good wife kneeling beside him.

"Boy am I glad to see you," he said. Serenity smiled and put her stethoscope away. But her eyes were sad. Chris then noticed that Apollo was no longer beside him.

"Where's Apollo?" he asked.

"He's been flown to my hospital already," said Serenity. "Your mother's looking after him, and she asked me to look after you." She sighed sadly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here sooner. We knew you'd broken your leg, but we didn't know it was this bad." Chris gripped her hand tightly.

"It's alright, You're here now," he said.

"Let's get you out of this mud," said Serenity. "I've already put your leg in a splint." Suddenly a stretcher was lowered beside him. It was attached to Tenor's saddle. Serenity carefully slid him onto it. When he was secure Serenity looked at him, her eyes were gentle.

"You'll be okay," she said.

"Apollo saved my life," said Chris.

"Yes, from Changewings," said Serenity. "He fought them all off by himself."

"Changewings?" said Chris. "Is that how he got hurt?" Serenity nodded sadly. She got to her feet and went over to where Windwalker was waiting. The Night Fury was pretty worried about her rider. But she trusted Serenity. The Dragon Healer mounted her and she took off. Tenor lifted the stretcher and followed. They headed back towards the apple tree.

When they got there the other Draconians were waiting for them. Re and Aurora were laying on either side of Apollo. The young dragonet was wrapped in bandages and still unconscious. His titan wing had finally deactivated. Everyone looked up when the stretcher was lowered and the two nightly dragons landed. Serenity dismounted and opened the doors to the house. Then she, Tenor and Windwalker helped get Chris to his feet. He was still in a lot of pain and his head throbbed. He leaned heavily on the two nightly dragons. Serenity made a note to get a pair of crutches for him.

They got Chris into the house and laid him on the bed. Serenity propped his broken leg on several pillows. Chris took several deep breaths and started to relax. Serenity sat on the bed beside him. She felt his forehead, and he had a fever.

"How's Apollo?" Chris asked.

"He's in pretty bad shape," said Serenity. "Even if he lives, he may never fly again." Chris sighed sadly.

"He saved my life," he said.

"Of course he did," said Serenity. "You're his brother, you're family." Chris gave her a small smile. But he still looked sad and guilty. Serenity hugged him.

"Don't worry," she said softly. "He's still alive, and as long as he is, we'll try very hard to make him better." Chris hugged her back. After a while Serenity sat up.

"You should get some sleep," she said. "You have quite a fever." Chris took another deep breath.

"I wish there was more I could do for him," he said.

"You can make his fight a success," said Serenity. Chris sighed and silently agreed. He closed his eyes and in a few minuets was fast asleep. Serenity got up and turned to Tenor and Windwalker who were waiting near the bed.

"Thanks for your help," she said. They both smiled.

"Can I sleep in here?" Windwalker asked, her eyes fixed on her rider.

"As long as you keep your voice down," said Serenity, stroking Windwalker behind the ears. Windwalker went over and laid beside the bed. Tenor decided to sleep in the house as well. Serenity got ready for bed and laid down beside Chris. Everyone fell asleep in minuets, exhausted after the day's events.

Chris woke up sometime later, not knowing how long. He moaned and opened his eyes. Serenity was sitting crosslegged on her side of the bed. She smiled when she saw his eyes open. Chris's leg felt very sore.

"Hi," said Serenity softly. "How do you feel?"

"Sore," said Chris. "Really sore."

"The Speed Stinger venom is wearing off," said Serenity. "I'll give you some more in a bit."

"How's Apollo?" Chris asked.

"He hasn't died yet," said Serenity. "And he is healing, so there's hope."

"You patched him up?" Chris asked.

"No, your mother did," said Serenity. "She insisted very heavily on looking after him."

"Really?" said Chris.

"Well it is her job," said Serenity.

"True," said Chris. He moaned in pain again. Serenity reached over the side of the bed and pulled up her medical bag. She also turned to her nightstand and filled a goblet of water from a china pitcher. She handed it to Chris who drank it without a word. It was then that he noticed the bandages on Serenity's right foreleg.

"What happened to your leg?" Chris asked.

"Um," Serenity said awkwardly. "Your parents haven't been themselves lately, most likely due to worry. They won't let anyone get close to Apollo: not me, not Tenor and Windwalker, not the children, not even Avalon. They've been, more aggressive then usual. Snapping their jaws at everyone."

"How long was I out?" Chris asked.

"A week," said Serenity. "That mud you were in was toxic. It made you pretty sick."

"So what did happen to your leg?" Chris asked. Serenity sighed.

"I got too close to Apollo, and Aurora bit me on the leg," she said. "Most of the side effects have worn off by now."

"Mom bit you?" Chris asked, taken aback.

"I'm not the only one," said Serenity. "Toothless got scratched on the flank by Re, Aurora also bit Tenor on the snout. Hiccup got bitten too, but on his metal leg." She dug into her bag and pulled out a syringe and vile of Speed Stinger venom.

"I'm kind of jealous of Hiccup right now," Chris said, placing a hand on his busted leg. "He breaks a leg he can just take it off and put on a different one." Serenity chuckled as she filled the needle.

"Yeah there's a lot of pros and cons to having a metal leg," she said. "I remember when he saved Barf and Belch from an avalanche many years ago. They were at his beck and call, it drove him insane. All of his spare legs got damaged within 24 hours. When one of them got bent he always had a spare handy. He could just switch it, and be off." She injected the Speed Stinger venom into Chris's leg. He sighed when the pain went away.

"It's so odd," he said. "Mom and Dad have never bitten anyone before."

"They're scared that Apollo won't make it," said Serenity. "But the rest of the family have flown to Dragon Island to prevent further injury. I stayed behind to take of you. Chris sighed.

"Will he make it?" he asked. Serenity gripped his hand in both of hers.

"I don't know to be honest," she said, her voice growing sad. "I haven't seen a dragon so injured since..." She stopped and sighed, not able to finish the sentence. Chris could guess where her mind was. He lifted his hand and stroked her face gently.

"Is Apollo that bad?" he asked.

"No, not as bad," said Serenity. "But I did get deja vu." She sighed again and griped the hand that was stroking her face. "But I think he'll be okay. Lord Draco still needs him here."

"Yeah that's true," Chris said.

"I'm grateful to him too," said Serenity. "That he saved your life." She laid down beside him, resting her head on his good shoulder. "I love him, he's a good dragon." Chris murmured in agreement. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"I couldn't agree more," he said.

Outside Tenor and Windwalker landed under the tree. They were both on edge. Re and Aurora were asleep, curled around Apollo. Tenor's snout was wrapped in bandages. Suddenly the king and queen woke up. The two nightly kept their distance.

"Any improvement?" Tenor asked. Re looked down at Apollo. He was still unconscious, but he was breathing.

"I can sense life in him still," said Aurora. "But his future is fuzzy, I can't foresee if he will be completely alright." She sounded close to tears.

"How's Chris?" Windwalker asked. They all looked in the direction of the house.

"Serenity's taking care of him," said Re. "And she hasn't been out here in a while." Tenor and Windwalker looked at each other.

"Well, you guys haven't been yourselves lately," said Tenor, placing a paw on his wounded snout. Re and Aurora exchanged a guilty glance.

"How bad is it?" asked Aurora.

"It's not so bad," said Tenor. "At least you don't have venom." Aurora got to her feet and went up to Tenor. He seemed nervous.

"We're sorry Tenor," she said. "We were just so scared."

"I know," Tenor said. "I was the same way when Black Widow was just an egg. But you guys aren't as naturally dangerous as I am." Re got to his feet as well and walked up to Tenor, eyes narrowed. Then he sneered.

"Oh, I'll show you dangerous," he said, mischievously. Then, with a loud roar, he pounced on Tenor. Aurora and Windwalker quickly jumped aside and watched the two males wrestle playfully in the grass.

After several minuets Re pinned Tenor to the ground. Tenor frowned in defeat.

"Ha! I win," Re said.

"Alright, alright, get off of me you big green lump," Tenor said, laughing. Re got off him and Tenor got to his feet. He shook the dirt off his scales. Just then the door to the house opened and Serenity stepped out. She was holding her china pitcher, which was empty. She looked stunned and confused.

"Hey, Serenity," said Tenor. Serenity seemed to loosen up when she saw him. She set the pitcher down and limped towards him. Her leg was really hurting her. She got about half way to her dragon when her leg gave way and she fell onto the grass. She groaned in pain, clutching her injured leg. Tenor approached her and nudged her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm, fine," said Serenity, gasping. "Just give me a minuet." She took a few deep breaths. Suddenly she felt something wrap around her middle, then pull her to her feet. Serenity turned to see that Aurora had helped her up.

"Thanks," she said. She turned to Tenor and hugged his snout.

"How's Chris?" Re asked.

"He's better," said Serenity. "He woke up and his leg is doing better. I just came out here for more water." Tenor nuzzled her. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt from that fight?"

"Oh, we weren't fighting," Tenor said. "It was friendly wrestling." Serenity's eyes popped.

"Oh, is that all?" she said, relaxing a bit.

"How's your leg?" Tenor asked.

"It hurts," said Serenity. "But that's all. I should get that water." She made her way back over to the pitcher. Aurora lowered her head and let out a warm breath, aimed at Serenity's leg. It healed instantly and Serenity could walk on it.

"Thank you," she said.

"I'm sorry for biting you," said the queen. She cast the same spell on Tenor's snout, the bandage vanished. Tenor looked a lot happier. Serenity picked up the pitcher. She headed for the well, Chris was probably getting thirsty.

As she was pulling up the bucket, she noticed Apollo.

"Guys, look!" she exclaimed. She put the filled pitcher on the ground again and rushed to Apollo's side, as his golden eyes opened. The other's joined her. Apollo moaned and lifted his head. He was in a lot of pain. Aurora laid beside him and wrapped her tail around him.

"Mama?" Apollo croaked.

"I'm here Apollo," said Aurora, softly. "How are you feeling?"

"It hurts," Apollo moaned. "I can't move." Aurora nuzzled him, and licked him.

"It's okay," she said. "You can go back to sleep if you want." Apollo didn't hesitate. He snuggled close to his mother and fell asleep.

"He unlocked his titan wing," said Windwalker. "I should start unlocking the others'."

"Then, they'll be crowned," said Re. "And we can retire." At that moment Apollo woke up again.

"The other dragonets and I have decided that we want to wait to be crowned," he said. "Until Edelweiss becomes of age." The adults exchanged a glance.

"I'm fine with that," said Aurora. The others murmured in agreement. Apollo closed his eyes again. Serenity went back to the well and picked up the pitcher.

"I should get this to Chris," she said.

"We'll be in to see him later," said Aurora. Serenity turned and went back into the house.

Inside Chris was still awake. Serenity put the pitcher on the night stand and crawled onto the bed, sitting crosslegged.

"What kept you?" Chris asked.

"Apollo woke up," said Serenity. "And Aurora healed my leg and Tenor's snout with her magic. She and Re have made amens for being so aggressive."

"Oh, that's good," Chris said, pleased. "Can I see him?"

"He went back to sleep," said Serenity. "He has a long way to go still." Chris relaxed bit. Serenity gave him more water.

"I guess I'm going to be in here a while," he said.

"Yeah, but I'll be staying in here too," Serenity said. "For as long as you want me." She made herself comfortable on the bed beside him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the days went by, Apollo slowly improved. His wounds were healing and his strength returning. He stayed beside his mother. The other dragons congratulated him on unlocking his titan wing at such a young age. Windwalker, in fact, wouldn't stop talking about it. She wanted Apollo to help her unlock the other dragonets' titan wing. But Apollo said he wasn't interested in putting his friends in danger. He also didn't want to see his sister in danger, after what happened to his brother. Windwalker thought of a way for him to help out without having to worry about his friends or his sister.

Inside the house, Chris was recovering as well. The wound he got from the air combat simulator had finally healed. His leg was getting better. Because he shared Re's heart, and therefore his strength, his leg was healing faster than normal. He didn't like being bedridden however. Serenity stayed beside him the whole time, and he was grateful. He enjoyed her company. But he really wanted to stretch his legs and see how Apollo was doing.

He woke up to a very sore leg. He opened his eyes and saw Serenity sitting on her side of the bed, smiling at him.

"Hello," she said softly.

"Hi," Chris replied, very gloomily. Serenity could tell he was restless. She checked his leg again.

"I think you're okay to go outside," she said. "You'll have to use crutches and you won't be able to ride for a while." She got off the bed and went around to Chris's side. She helped him sit up and swing his legs over the side. Chris winched but didn't say anything. Serenity handed him the crutches. He used them to heave himself to the feet. He put his weight on the crutches and his good leg, which was stiff from being in bed for so long. He took several deep breaths. Serenity put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chris panted. "Just give me a minuet." Serenity rubbed his back gently. Then Chris made his way towards the door. Serenity hurried to open it for him. Chris emerged out into the bright sunlight. The dragons looked up when they saw him. Re went up to him.

"Good to see you on your feet again," he said. Chris smiled at him.

"Feels good to be on my feet again," he said. "How's Apollo?" Re looked over his wing.

"He's on his feet again too," he said. Chris followed his gaze and saw Apollo eating from a pile of fish and mutton. Avalon lay nearby watching him. She seemed very happy to see Apollo on his feet and eating. Apollo had scars all over his body and the edge of his wings were tattered. His left eye had a huge bruise around it.

Apollo looked up and beamed when he saw Chris. He trotted over, limping slightly.

"I'm so glad you got out of that okay," he said.

"Thanks to you," Chris said. "I'm glad you got out of that alive too. Must have been some fight." Apollo nodded. Chris scratched him behind his horns, making him purr. After a while Apollo went back to his fish and mutton. Chris went over to his chair and sat down. He leaned the crutches against the tree trunk, where he could reach them easily. Serenity gave Tenor a big hug and sat in her chair. Re remembered something. He turned to Apollo.

"Apollo, I'm sorry I yelled at you after the simulation," he said. Apollo crooned with pleasure.

"I'm sorry I chickened out," he said. "Won't happen again." Re nodded and smiled. A breeze picked up and rustled the golden leaves, like the tree was sighing with relief.

"Sound's like the tree is happy," said Serenity. "And I am too. Hopefully the dark cloud over this hospital is gone."

"It is for now," said Re. "We'll do our best to keep it away." Serenity smiled.

"Thanks," she said. At that moment Apollo finished all the fish and mutton. All that food had restored his energy. He shuffled his wings.

"You going flying?" asked Avalon.

"I my wings feel cramped up," said Apollo. He flapped them. Avalon pranced up to him. But then Hiccup and Toothless landed under the tree.

"Hello Hiccup, Toothless," Re said sophisticatedly. "What brings you up here?"

"We were hoping for another shot at air combat training tomorrow," said Hiccup. "Now that Apollo's back on his feet." The dragons exchanged a glance.

"I still can't ride," said Chris. Windwalker nudged his hand.

"I'll stay here," she said.

"I want to go," piped up Black Widow. The other dragonets let out roars of agreement.

"The dragonets will be joining you," said Aurora. "But the adults will stay behind."

"It will give Apollo a chance at redemption," Re added.

"Sounds great," said Hiccup. "We'll be meeting tomorrow at sunrise, same place as last time."

"We'll be there," said Avalon. Hiccup and Toothless took off again.

They landed back at the plaza where the other riders were waiting with their dragons. Toothless landed and Hiccup go off.

"What'd they say?" asked Astrid.

"Since Chris still can't ride, the adults will be sitting this one out," said Hiccup. "And the dragonets will be joining us."

"Did you tell them about the scenario?" asked Astrid.

"No, my guess is they'll up the security if we tell them," said Hiccup.

"How about we do a different scenario," Fishlegs suggested. "Those dragons will BBQ us if we do this one, if Chris hasn't cut us to ribbons first."

"For once I agree with Fishface," said Snotlout. "You're planning on taking something of value from very powerful dragons. They'll bite your other leg off if you take it."

"As long as no one get hurt, and everyone gets back safely they'll forgive us," said Hiccup.

"How are you going to take something when it's now guarded by, as Snotlout says, very powerful dragons?" asked Tuffnut.

"I can get passed them," boasted Eret. "I stole eggs from a mother dragon once. It'll be tricky but not impossible."

"Can you do it without hurting anyone?" Hiccup asked.

"You can count on it," Eret said.

"Great, you'll have to grab it before sunrise," Hiccup said. Eret nodded. The riders and dragons disbursed. In the distance Avalon, Apollo, and Black Widow were playing tag in the air, Edelweiss rode on Black Widow.

Latter that evening Serenity helped Chris get back into bed. His leg was really sore now. When he was laying down, Serenity gave him more Speed Stinger venom to get rid of the pain.

"Is that better?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," Chris said, placing a hand on hers. Serenity put her things away. She made her way to her side of the bed and crawled in next to him.

"When do you think I can ride again?" Chris asked. Serenity considered.

"Three weeks," she said. "Maximum." Chris sighed in disappointment. Serenity scooted closer to him.

"Don't worry, it'll be worth it," she said. "I won't be flying much either until you're better." Chris smiled appreciatively. They eventually ran out of things to say and went to sleep.

Latter that night Serenity was woken up by the sound of the door opening. She sat up and looked towards the door, to find it open. She was confused and a bit scared. She got out of bed and headed for the door, to close it. She glanced outside to see who had opened it, but all she saw were the dragons asleep under the tree. The nightly dragons had gone fishing. Serenity yawned and decided to go back to bed. But when she turned around, someone grabbed her from behind. A cloth was put over her mouth, preventing her from screaming. The cloth had was soaked in a knock out drug. Serenity eventually passed out. She was quietly carried away, and her kidnappers headed for the docks.

She woke up a while later in a different location. She was in a cage on the deck of Eret's trapping ship. Her hands were shackled and she was gagged. The ship was way out at sea, no land in sight. Serenity sat up and looked around. Vikings wondered about the ship, talking quietly. There were a few dragons on the deck as well, one of them being Skullcrusher. The Rumblehorn saw that Serenity was awake and came over.

"Hey Serenity," he said. "I know you're scared and confused but it's okay. You're a hostage for the scenario. You'll be back under your tree by lunchtime." Serenity calmed down a bit. But she was still trembling. At that moment Eret came up beside Skullcrusher.

"Hey Serenity," he said. "Real sorry about this. Hiccup wanted the scenario to be as realistic as possible. You'll be perfectly safe as long as you don't do anything rash." Serenity sighed and laid back down. She curled into a ball and just waited. She wondered if the other Draconians were aware of all this, she wondered how Chris was handling his broken leg without her. She suspected it was really hurting him by now.

The Berkians and the young Draconians flew over the ocean, looking for the ship. The young Draconians had no idea that it was Serenity that they were rescuing. They kept their eyes open.

"Where was the ship last seen?" asked Avalon.

"In this area," said Hiccup.

"Can I be the one to release the hostage?" Apollo asked.

"Sure, but someone else will have to carry it off the ship," said Hiccup.

"Me!" said Snotlout, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut all at once. Both Hiccup and Astrid rolled their eyes.

"Who's the hostage?" asked Black Widow. The riders exchanged a glance.

"It's Serenity," said Astrid. The young Draconians were very shocked to hear this.

"Mama?" said Edelweiss, worried. She clicked the reins and Black Widow sped up.

"Edelweiss wait," Hiccup called. He urged Toothless to go faster and they blocked the Black Widow. "Don't be so hasty, we'll get your mother back I promise." Edelweiss sighed. She steered Black Widow back to the other riders. They went back to looking for the ship.

"How's Serenity going to get off the ship if she doesn't have a dragon to ride?" asked Apollo. "We're still too young to carry a full sized human."

"She'll have to double up with one of us, or ride Skullcrusher," said Hiccup.

"She can ride with me," boasted Snotlout. "Hookfang wouldn't mind." He seemed very excited by the idea. Hiccup rolled his eyes.

"Astrid, will you fly Serenity off the ship and take her back to the apple tree?" Hiccup asked.

"Sure thing Hiccup," said Astrid.

"Look, there it is," Avalon announced. She pointed to Eret's ship which was sailing away from them.

"Good eye Avalon," Hiccup said. "You guys go in first and get Serenity free. We'll cover you." The young dragonets all dove at the ship. The vikings on the deck fired at them, but nothing made a hit. The berkian riders fired back at the ship, releasing all they had. With the trappers distracted. The dragonets landed on the deck. Edelweiss readied her bow and arrow. The arrowheads were replaced with small bags of red paint. When someone was hit, the were supposed to fall to the ground as though dead. Apollo spotted Serenity first. Locked in the cage, bound and gagged.

"Father will not be happy about this," he told the others.

"I know I'm not," said Avalon. "Let's go." They snuck over to the cage. Avalon kept a lookout.

"Mama," Edelweiss whispered. Serenity looked up at them. She seemed relieved to see them.

"We'll get you out," said Apollo. He turned his attention to the lock. He took a deep breath and used his magic to break the lock. The dragonets opened the door. Serenity crawled out and got to her feet. Avalon took off the gag.

"Are you okay Mama?" Edelweiss asked.

"Yes, thank you," said Serenity. She was about to try and take the shackles off, when several bolas shot through the air and bound up the dragonets, and Edelweiss. Serenity was grabbed from behind by Eret. He covered her mouth and held a dagger to her throat. She didn't have time to scream.

"Mama!" Edelweiss cried.

"Eret, let her go," Hiccup called from above. Eret turned to see the other riders glaring down at him.

"Why don't you come down here an make me," Eret challenged. "Or are you planning on staying up there like a coward?" Serenity whimpered. With Eret's attention of the Berkians, he wasn't paying attention to the young Draconians. Apollo growled and struggled against his bonds. Then he unlocked his titan wing and broke free from the ropes. He roared as he jumped to his feet. He ran at Eret as fast as he could. With a powerful thrust of his wings he jumped on Eret, knocking him and Serenity to the ground. Serenity managed to wriggle free. She looked around for a way off the ship. Skullcrusher flapped his wings to get her attention. Serenity ran to him, while Apollo wrestled with Apollo. Serenity climbed onto Skullcrusher's saddle. The Rumblehorn spread his wings and took off, heading back towards Berk. All the dragons and riders cheered at there success. The riders landed their dragons on the deck and Apollo got off Eret. Hiccup cut the other young Draconians free.

"Well done you guys," said Hiccup.

"That was scary," said Black Widow. "I don't like seeing Serenity like that."

"We don't either," said Hiccup. Edelweiss looked at Eret. She shot an arrow at him, and hit him in the face, leaving it covered in red paint.

"That's for being rough with my mother," she scolded.

"I was being careful," said Eret. "But I'm sorry I scared her, and you." Edelweiss's face softened.

"Well, we should get back," said Hiccup. "I imagine there's quite the raging inferno waiting for us." Eret went up to the helm and steered the ship back towards Berk.

Skullcrusher approached Berk. He headed for the apple tree. Serenity was still calming down. Skullcrusher looked over his wing at her.

"You going to be okay?" he asked.

"I think so," Serenity said, breathing heavily. "I should see how Chris is doing." Skullcrusher sped up and soon landed next to the tree. The dragons looked real worried, as did Chris who was sitting in his chair. They looked up when Skullcrusher landed.

"Serenity, there you are," said Re. "Are you okay?" Serenity slid off Skullcrusher's back.

"Yes, I'm okay now," she said. Re began sniffing her.

"What happened to you?" asked Aurora. "We've been worried sick."

"Hiccup wanted to use her as a hostage for the scenario," Skullcrusher explained. "And he wanted it to be as realistic as possible."

"And apparently he decided to, not tell any of us about it," Tenor added.

"They're on their way back," said Skullchrusher.

"Good, I've got a few choice words to say to them," said Re. He spread his wings.

"Please don't start a fight Re," Serenity pleaded.

"Don't worry, I won't," Re said. He took off, Aurora, Tenor, and Skullcrusher followed. Serenity went and sat in her chair beside Chris.

"How's your leg?" she asked.

"It's fine," Chris said. "They didn't hurt you did they?" Serenity shook her head.

"I thought they were going to, but they didn't," she said. "It was very scary." She scooted her chair closer to his so she could lay her head on his shoulder.

"I hope they get back soon," she said. "Then I can get these taken off." She held up her hands which were still shackled. Chris tutted softly. Serenity yawned and closed her eyes.

"I take it you didn't get much sleep last night," Chris said.

"No, I was too worried about you," said Serenity. "I didn't know what condition you'd be in when you woke up. I didn't know if your leg was hurting again. And if it was I wouldn't be there to take the pain away." She sniffed, she didn't realize she'd been crying into Chris's shoulder. Chris wrapped his arm around her.

"It was pretty painful this morning," he said. "But I managed to get out of bed by myself. I'm doing a lot better, thanks to you." Serenity finally smiled. It always pleased her to hear that her skills had helped someone get better.

"How did the young ones do this time?" Chris asked.

"They did good," said Serenity. "Apollo attacked Eret and that allowed me to get away on Skullcrusher."

"Good to hear," Chris said. "He unlock his titan wing?" Serenity nodded, and yawned again. Just then Windwalker, who had been sleeping next to Chris's chair, woke up.

"Hey, Windwalker," Serenity said sleepily.

"Serenity, you're back," Windwalker said. "And in one piece."

"Yes," said Serenity. She told Windwalker everything that had happened. The dragon was both angry and impressed. When the story ended she looked slightly amused.

"Shame you weren't the one to fly in and rescue her," she told Chris. "Be her, what was that term you use, knight in shining armor."

"He wouldn't have been able to do it without his noble steed," Serenity added. Then she sighed. "They're will be another opportunity I'm sure. I'm a pretty typical damsel in distress. And everyone's out to get me." Windwalker nuzzled her.

"Well, if it does happen again we'll be ready for it," the dragon promised. "We're also going to make sure you don't get kidnapped anymore." Serenity gave her a grateful hug.

"You should get some sleep," Chris said. "You must be exhausted." Serenity laid her head back on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I'll wait until these come off," she said, holding up her shackled hands. "They're not real pleasant to sleep with." She soon drifted off.

Down in the plaza the Draconian dragons waited as the dragon riders got off the ship. Re was growling the whole time, and swished his tail menacingly. Hiccup quickly picked up on their mood.

"Re, I am very sorry," he said. "I swear we did our best to make sure she didn't get hurt."

"You could have told us, and saved us the heart attack," Re snarled. "Do you have any idea what we went through when we woke up and found Serenity missing? We didn't where she was, if she'd been hurt or killed. Serenity's not a toy you can just borrow whenever you want. She's a human girl who's been traumatized enough."

"It won't happen again Re, you have my word," Hiccup said. Re snorted.

"Well I hope so," he said. "Because if it does we will leave this place and not come back again."

"That is a fair deal," said Hiccup. Re nodded once. At that moment Edelweiss and the dragonets joined them. Apollo was beaming with pride.

"Father, I did it, I helped free the hostage," he said, bouncing up and down. Re lightened up and looked down at Apollo.

"It's true," said Avalon. "He tackled Eret and that gave Serenity the opportunity to escape." Re beamed and nuzzled Apollo.

"Well done my son," he praised. "I knew you had it in you." Apollo went even redder and wagged his tail happily. He then pranced over to his mother, who nuzzled him as well. Re turned back to the riders.

"We should head back up, and get everyone back to Dragon Island," he said.

"Can Chris ride yet?" Hiccup asked.

"We're going to go find out now," Re said. With that the Draconians took off and headed back to the apple tree.

Serenity woke up again when they landed. Edelweiss jumped off Black Widow and ran into Serenity's lap, happy that she was okay. Aurora clicked her claws and the shackles disappeared. Apollo went over and carefully nudged Serenity's hand. She scratched behind his ears.

"Thank you Apollo," she whispered. "You're a good dragon." Apollo melted and purred.

"We should make our way back to Dragon Island," said Aurora. "Chris do you think you can ride for a short distance?" Chris considered.

"I think so," he said. He shifted to get up. Serenity watched, but let him do it himself. Chris grabbed his crutches and stood up. Serenity got to her feet as well, holding Edelweiss's hand. The dragons helped get Chris into the saddle with as little pain as possible. Soon he was sitting comfortably on Windwalker's back. Serenity mounted Tenor and Edelweiss got back on Black Widow. The dragons spread their wings and took off. They flew over the village and headed back to Dragon Island. They were all looking forward to rest and relaxation.

THE END


End file.
